The subject invention relates to an improved shot recovery system and method for recovering shot in a shot-peening process.
The application of shot-peening to treat a workpiece is well known in the art. In this application, a stream of shot, small metal particles, is discharged at a surface of the workpiece at a high velocity to treat the surface of the workpiece. Shot-peening machines have been developed to effectively treat large numbers of workpieces in a mass-production environment. At some interval in mass-production, it is necessary to recover the spent shot in order to maximize the efficiency of the shot-peening machines. More specifically, after the shot has been discharged toward the workpiece, the spent shot is recovered in a collection reservoir so that the recovered shot can now be recycled and re-used in the shot-peening machine.
To recover the shot, conventional shot-peening machines employ mechanical devices to convey the recovered shot to a shot supply hopper. The mechanical devices employed to convey the recovered shot are susceptible to structural degradation due to forces, such as friction, contributed by the shot. As a result, operation of conventional shot-peening machines that employ a mechanical device to convey the recovered shot is expensive due to repair, replacement, and production downtime costs.
It is an object of the subject invention to provide a shot recovery system and method for recovering shot that avoids the mechanical conveyance of shot by utilizing fluid forces to convey shot in the shot recovery process.